15888/Do It For The Children And the Hungry Hungry Hobos

Do It For The Children And the Hungry Hungry Hobos
Date of Scene:	13 December 2023
Location:	Shaw Studios, Lower East Side
Synopsis:	Lucifer and Sinister swing by Shaw Studios to help benefit the charity drives hosted there, book Nick for a few more shows, and have a session in one of the studio rooms.
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Lucifer, Sinister

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Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It's beginning to look a lot like...

Well, several holidays really. In New York City, there is a mish mash of different cultures with their respective cultures flavoring the decor of the city that surrounds. But generally when one walks around, each section of building that opted for decor tends to keep to a particular theme.

It is at that point where Shaw Studios seems to have merged a little bit. Situated along the curve of the main staircase that leads up to the second floor offices, a holiday tree is positioned, filling out the gap between floor and ceiling nicely. Sloping up on a diagonal in one direction, blue and white ribbon stands out amongst the green branches. Sloping in the opposite direction, Red and Gold. Bits of silver and black dot along the ornamental color scheme along with bulbs set in the respective December holiday color schemes celebrated by the various staff that work at the studio.

Set up in the vicinity of the tree but not directly under it are several large boxes Already at the halfway mark, there are the signs of plastic bag handles sticking out the tops of a few boxes and toys peeking out of a few others. Positioned near the boxes opposite of the tree, a sign is posted, indicating the boxes to be the drop off location for the food and toy drives.

It is simply convenience that sets those boxes perfectly in the line of sight of Larry, the security guard situated at the front desk, and controller of who shall pass deeper into the halls of Shaw Studios. But he's not alone as a blond man is over near the boxes, glancing in. Wade lifts up a phone, thumbs gliding along to unlock the phone. "...Turnout's been pretty good."

Lucifer has posed:
If there is one thing that Lucifer actually enjoys, it's a good cause. He may be the Grinch when it comes to enticing holiday cheer on some ground, but he knows that there is good what comes from the charity drives of the season. He's likely going to have one or two at Lux himself, but for now, he's approaching Shaw Studios carrying a few bags in both his arms.

He's likely joined by Nathaniel Essex, and it's a toss up if both of them come bearing goods or just himself (but lets face it, they'll likely both contribute) and the door to the studio is opened with a thought since his arms are full. Gifts are wrapped, food is still in their grocer bags - all shelf-stable items along with tucked away gift cards for the grocer which he got the items from so people can pick up items that are less shelf-stable.

He peeks around the bags, giving a smile to Wade and then motions. "Where should we drop these off? It's food and gifts..." If he could see the sign he wouldn't have asked but his vision is nearly entirely blocked at the moment.

Sinister has posed:
He is not the only one having issues with seeing. On the other hand, the man known in many circles as Mister Sinister can at least avoid collision by knowing where the brains are. "I actually found I can donate through marks and spencers, too, which means there's going to be an abundance of figgy puddings, mince pies and vacuum sealed hams at some point. Also, a turkey giveaway, but the trucks need dates and advertizing..."

He pauses, turns his head a fraction to remark positions he cannot see, but ultimately turns attention up to the tree. It seems to please him.

"Somehow, I feel as if we might have underdone things somewhat," is a quiet commentary on the moment. "I should probably speak to management regarding other issues. Both of us should."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The door to the studio doesn't swing open immediately as it rattles upon the frame, glancing over, Larry tilts his head back to see the pair at the door. "Oh." With a quick movement to press something there's the clunk of the latch disengaging, letting the door continue its swing open.

The sound of the entry process is enough to cause Wade to glance around. while the bags may very well be blocking Lucifer and Sinister's face at the moment, the presence of two men who exceed the 6 foot studio owner TOGETHER kind of narrows down the list of potential past acquaintances. The general style of the two and the voices hitting the musician's ears fill in the rest.

"Ah! Mr. Morningstar! Dr. Essex! Welcome to Shaw Studios." With a tap on the phone, the device is soon locked and slid into his pocket while Wade approaches the pair. "Here, let me help you with the ones blocking your view." Wade offers, stating his intent before actually taking the packages.

Once he has granted the devil and his companion the gift of direct sight. Wade steps back to give the pair their personal space back. "The donation boxes are over there. The ones to the left are for toys. The ones to the right are for food. And if you can't fit them into the box, next to them will do." Wade answers the initial question. Nodding his head in the direction of the almost full boxes. "Please allow me to be the first to thank you two for helping out with our donation drives."

Lucifer has posed:
"Certainly our pleasure, Mister Shaw." Lucifer says this as his vision is granted back with the removal of a couple of bags. "Always willing to help out where we can." Which may paint the Devil in a different light to some people, but it's not something he's going to let fully ruin his reputation...right? Either way, he'll follow the instructions and the labeled boxes to drop off toys and food respectively before turning and helping Nathaniel with the same.

"There. That's done. Sorry for simply showing up unannounced. Nick had mentioned this drive recently and we wanted to take part in it, of course." He motions to the bags. "There's the shelf stable stuff, and the other things Nathaniel mentioned plus, all the bags I brought have gift cards so families can go buy things like milk, bread, eggs... stuff that would go bad waiting around to be handed out. Or whatever they want to treat themselves with." He won't mention the value of each card, but they're at least $100 additional. The toys range from things for tykes to youthful ventures. Dolls, trucks, puzzles, action figures...to name a few things.

"Speaking of. Is Mister Drago here? Was hoping to catch him and fill him in on some things... and since you're here... I might discuss booking him for a show or two at Lux. One will be another charity event if he's available and willing."

Sinister has posed:
"Thank you," that to Lucifer, the Doctor nods to the security guard, then focuses his attention upon Shaw. "We figured that the immediate needed something for the charity to pick up. As noted, coordination will supply a turkey and ham drive, along with what amounts to a bake sale, without the actual sale involved." There's a silence that follows, filled with things unsaid and struggled with, amounting in the end to a smile.

"It was a raging success last year and for the Pet rescue drive that happened a while back. He's a crowd pleaser in a different way to Lucifer."

The bins get a solid regard, a picking at for what other individuals tend to offer; the dried pasta, cans, staples that are entirely needed, when money is tight. The cans are handled, regarded and considered. "I was right to pack in some pet food in this, I think." But for the rest of the moments, he's quiet, dealing in the private exchange with his usual polite stoicism, when at a loss for words.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Oh I'm not about to reprimand you for taking part in a charity drive. The door still auto locks but Larry's good at " Wade responds to Lucifer's apology, shaking his head. The smile on his face seems reasonably genuine as he looks to the bags indicated to have the gift cards. "...Hmm thank you for mentioning those. We'll probably want to fish those out and move them to the overflow room. We have an area set aside for the smaller, easier to lose items there."

And a door that locks.

When the eventual inquiry regarding Nick comes in, Wade gives a slight chuckle. "Good timing on your part. Nick just ran up to grab the sign up lists. He should be back down in a few. And of course I'm willing to listen regarding the potential bookings."

He then looks over to Sinister as he lists off additional means in which assistance will be supplied. "That does sound like an extensive list. Well, if you need any coordination with Shaw Studios for that, you already have Nick's number. Considering how he had to miss the past few years of drives, he's been extra involved with this one."

There's a slight falter to the smile.

To the mention of Nick being a crowd pleaser, the moment of discontent seems to fade a bit. "Yes. He's... got a way about him. You should see what it's like when he has a proper tour in Italy and Ireland. Those are the fastest selling performances."

Eyes set upon the dog food. "We'll be sure to separate those out. I believe there's a team-up between the food kitchen and one of the local animal rescues. Same destination but different process."

Up above there is the sound of feet moving quickly down the steps to which Wade immediately turns, glancing upwards. "JESUS Nick, Stop running!"

"Sorry Wade." A familiar voice calls back, betraying a rather content mood. Along with the ongoing christmas mix playing in the guy's head.

The steps down slow to a more managable pace.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer nods and smiles, and then he actually does half the work for Wade and fishes out all the gift cards from the food donations he brought. "I sort of had the bags set up like one bag per family, but if it doesn't distribute that way, that's fine. Whatever helps out the most, yeah?" And then he shifts to set the gift cards in a safe space so Wade can do as he likes with them in a moment or few.

"As for booking Nick... I think something the weekend before Christmas Eve would be good for a benefit run at Lux. Then I would like to book him for New Years Eve if he's not been snagged by anyone or anything else yet." Saying that much before he hears the running steps and he glances over towards the stairs.

"Ah. Speaking of the de--min--....Speaking of Nick..."

Sinister has posed:
"Well, when one feeds a family, the pet is included. All it takes is a crisis, for people to belatedly realize that Fido needs to be fed at this time of year too, but the human side always wins out. Perhaps it would be better to separate the offerings into those packages, plus four legged friend? I don't know..." reaching, Sin nods. "I'll send you the details. You can coordinate from here, I suspect -- or via other locales. I have several yuletide dinner projects... but my name will not be attached, obviously." Is it obvious? That might not be the case.

The music in the head makes him cringe just slightly, mostly because the holiday good cheer of festive playlists is a never-ending loop this time of year, in every mall. Every restaurant. Every shop. Every gas station. Every...

You get the picture. And now it's in heads, too. That technique might work, but a fellow can have moments of regretting just how he taught another fellow to shield himself.

"Nicholas Drago, as I live and breathe." The smile's genuine enough though, with a gesture at the bins. "The rest's getting a direct deposit at the sorting centers. There's also a breadline drive going on, with restaurants in the New York city area, of all those things that are perfectly edible, just cannot be sold. Grocery stores love to show their ... festive spirit. That will be enroute to the soup kitchens, so you know."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Wade nods to Lucifer's explanation, "If we were adopting a specific numbers families, you'd be correct. But the drives are for organizations that do more like a store layout where people more directly pick out what they need. The difference being that the people using the service don't have to pay for what they pick out."

The manager pauses as he considers the general date ranges specified and gives a slight nod, looking over to the incoming Nick.

As Nick clears around the tree, his arms appear to be full of papers and a stapler. Hearing his middle name in full, the musician turns at the base of the steps, a couple of papers fluttering with the turn. And thus the out of context processing begins.

"Lucifer! Nathaniel! Good to see you!" The tone of voice seems rather chipper. Apparently the youngest one in the lobby has been drinking in a bit too much of the holiday cheer. Eyes glance over to the bags being messed with. "And you brought stuff for the drives. Even better!"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer spies the nod from the manager, thinking it might be in answer to the fact that he wants to book Nick on a couple nights at the club. They can talk details later, of course. His eyes shift over to the man in question as he spurts out excitement in verbal form which brings a half smile to Lucifer's lips. "It's good to see you as well, Nick. How have things been?" A look over the boxes where donations have been sorted and he nods. "Of course we did. We're suckers for charity, you should know this by now.."

Course, that's only because of the work that Nick has seen them do. If Lucifer was banking on his reputation, that ship sailed a long time ago and there's no real reparing the reputation of someone that's been running around the world for a few millenia now. None the less, he shifts to stand closer to Nathaniel's side and looks between everyone. "Well. Donations being all set now... shall we discuss business otherwise or are we just going to have a small hello-goodbye session?"

Sinister has posed:
"Oh dear, you've got the festive spirit in spades, haven't you? Be careful, it might be contagious..." Sin says this with a half smile and a chuckle and a nod. "We did. There's more of it, but apparently we caused a wee bit of extra work for the volunteer staff. It will all work out in the wash though, I'm sure." Two fingers to his left eyebrow and the doctor doffs an odd little salute, likely to the joie de vivre on display at the moment. Sharing a look as the devil draws near, he gestures those two fingers toward Lucifer as a directional cue.

"Unfortunately, those last words bring to mind impromptu broadway riffing, which I sincerely hope doesn't happen, because I might get caught up in the song and dance number..." he muses.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Hearing Sin's comment, Wade chuckles. "I wouldn't worry too much about the excess cheer. He's just making up for lost time." Glancing over to Lucifer, Wade nods once more, stepping over to take the gift cards, "I'll go ahead and move these to the overflow room." He states, making an excuse to make himself scarce, "We'll talk details after. In the meantime, feel free to check out the lounge area. There should still be some seasonal treats in there. Happy Holidays."

As Wade makes his leave, Nick watches the friend head off before looking back to Lucifer and Sin. "Even knowing that, it's still nice to see it in action." Nick glances towards the filled bins, "I don't mind. Each food item has to be checked for expiration dates anyways so sorting's not out of the way." He tilts his head in the direction of an opposing wall that holds a bulletin board. "And... I guess I'm a little excited." Nick admits. "Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss the simple things until you can't do them."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer inclines his head towards Wade and then offers a smile. "Just let me know when you're ready to talk." He offers this as Wade disappears, and pointedly does not give a return of Happy Holidays to the man. Not in a way to be offensive, but.. "The holidays this time of year are always hit and miss for me. I love the feel of pride and greed, vanity, that comes from the tradition of gift giving and receiving... I could likely fill myself tenfold by walking around a shopping mall for a few hours... but there's something about the other -reason for the season-..." he says that last bit sarcastically, "that just really gets under my skin."

Still, he shrugs and then smiles Nick's direction. "Not that I am trying to diminish anyone's holiday cheer or fun. People can celebrate how they want... and be as happy about this time of year as they please... so long as they don't expect me to get up and sing carols while drinking peppermint hot chocolate by a roaring fire..." He actually laughs then. "Mmn...peppermint chocolate...I might make a spin on a grasshopper for the holidays at the club..." Ah. Yes. More drink experiments...

Sinister has posed:
"Yuletide, Lucifer. Yuletide. The cycle of the seasons, the age-old practice of keeping you and your community alive during the darkest time of the year, knowing spring is on the way. The biological imperative to keep existing and defy the universe for throwing snow at you -- and we worship icons in jolly red suits." Sinister's words are a quiet murmur, though he's handing out a flask from his inner pocket to both men with a nod and a clearing of the throat.

"A little concoction of mine." -- A sip will frost the senses with mint, warm it with cinnamon tingles and quench it with milky goodness, all with a hefty jollop of booze. It tastes like a dipped cookie in milk!

"As to the simple things Nick... sometimes, you just have to do them anyway, even if nobody else knows."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick listens to Lucifer's take on the holiday season and nods. Likely not in agreement to the sentiment, but there is a nod. "I'm not about to push you to do those things." He replies, "I don't like people trying to get me to do things I don't want to do either. Although...I'll forgive you for introducing the thought of peppermint hot chocolate to my thoughts this season." The musician glances in the direction of the break room. "...probably some of the hot chocolate and candy canes left though..."

And then the flask is presented. The musician chuckles, "...Would it be too much of a blatantly obvious comment to call you a mind reader for pulling that out right this moment?...As for the simple things, well- I tried. And things ballooned... That's how New Hope Shelter ended up with some extra ventilation Thanksgiving of last year."

There's a pause, "...They replaced the wall though and I got invited back so, that worked out."

Lucifer has posed:
"Mmn...yes. Yultide..." And icons in jolly red suits. Lucifer shudders at the thought. The jolly red giant means kids... and that never settles well with Lucifer. Either way, he looks at the flask pulled from Sinister's pocket and proffered over, taking it to uncap and then takes a sip from it - but careful to not put his lips on the actual rim so others can enjoy. "Mmn... that's delicious... what's the liquor?" Saying this much more as he then offers the flask towards Nick in case the man wants a swallow or few.

"Hot chocolate and candy canes are like a staple this time of year. I could probably use a chocolate liquor with a creme de menthe... top it off with something a little soothing..." He then begins to consider this, running his mind through all the liquors that could be used for a drink like that. Over ice. Chilled. Because it would taste better chilled yes? Perhaps. Oh now his brain is turning and turning and sort of drifts away from current conversation.

He also needs to see a manager about a performer.

Sinister has posed:
"Funnily enough..." Sinister grins, slipping his hands into his pockets to watch the reception of the concoction of his invention. "I think there's more of a story behind a pair of lost doors than I am privvy to, but I suspect someone or something took random offense and there was a lack of portal coverings shortly after this and likely a relief that not all masonry is load bearing. I know you can bring the house down, but that would've been stretching it." Deadpan. Pause. Beat.

"Because if that was a random thanksgiving soup explosion, I recommend nobody cook with dynamite and ghost chillis. Just saying and all that."

The appreciation of the flavour has him smiling faintly. "Mint vodka with goldschlager cinnamon schnapps drizzled with a little white chocolate liquer and shaken and poured with a little half-and-half cream. I'm not sure what to call it but -you- just described an after eight shot, my dear." He observes of Lucifer's musing.

"I wouldn't mind a hot cocoa with whatever is actually lying around for the adults in the room."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Thank you." Nick replies to the offered flask, curiousity winning out. Surely it couldn't be a third case of getting too much ambrosia. Right? "Crushed peppermint to line the rim of the glass perhaps?" Nick offers up before taking a sip of the flask's contents. A brow raises as he looks to the flask. "I could imagine people buying this."

The flask is handed back to its owner. "That's very good." He comments, if the reaction from before wasn't enough verification.

The comment about exploding soup gets a bit of a head tilt before he shakes his head. "...It did involve explosives, but it wasn't in the soup."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer blinks and then glances over to Nathaniel and then shrugs his shoulders. "Ah, so that already exists... but what's in that flask doesn't. Should we introduct that mixture to the club? Maybe as a seasonal house special. Secret recipe. That sort of thing..." He says this much as he then goes back to thinking. The random bits he's actually listening to about explosions grabs his attention. "At least they brought you back..." Commenting this before shifting to meander back towards the room where Nick had mentioned there might be hot cocoa and candy canes.

"The best nights always end with explosives..." He offers this as he walks off. "Also, you need to get with Wade and discuss the shows I want to hire you for.." Offering this to Nick as he meanders and pokes around on things to make hot chocolate with. "We also need to do a round of property checks to make sure everyone and everything is fit as fiddles for the holiday seasons..."

Sinister has posed:
"Excellent. I have invented a thing..." this said by the Englishman with great dramatic effect and a smidgeon of Mister Burns in there, for good measure. "Part of me wants to call it something ridiculously old fashioned, like 'Miss Fanny's indiscretion' but I think that's probably not something I should be involved in..."

A long side-eye is given to Lucifer as he follows the devil into the back room and makes for the leftover chippolata sausages on a stick and random cheese and pineapple bits, similarly on sticks. It's mobile food and doesn't require a plate, right? Right.

"I rather hope that a good night out doesn't -always- end in an explosion. My best ones have invariably not, I must admit. My dear, that takes going out with a bang to whole new levels but now I'm intrigued about your capacity to walk slowly through flame..." like a REAL man.

"Also, logically. Inevitably. We have too many to check at the moment..." but Nick hasn't got off the hook and as a sausage goes down the hatch in a mildly suggestive manner, he is being looked at by incredibly expressive and wholely inquisitive eyebrows. And eyes too, but they're secondary.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the trio make their way into the musician's lounge, there appears to be some typical furnishings but with a few key differences. There's a vending machine to the right, but inside of it are common pieces of musical equipment that likely break. Drumsticks, guitar strings, guitar pics, and small toolkits. Sometimes recording sessions occur when music supply stores are closed after all.

But too the left of the doorway, there is a set of tables. On one table there are several coffee urns. Folded cards set before each of them indicate what they contain. Beside the urns are cups, stirrers, and adornments that go with the drink chosen: peppermint straws, chocolate dipped cookie spoons, whipped cream on ice, and a box containing an assortment of tea (For those who decide to use the urn containing the hot water.)

The second table contains a few platters of treats. Sugar cookies, fried jelly donuts, mini Yule logs, and malva pudding each share the spotlight with their own cards indicating what they are. Just in case.

As for the third table, well... Sinister found that one already. The more savory things.

Nick looks to Lucifer as he mentions more shows. Nick beams. "I'll be sure to talk to him later tonight." He assures, "I think so long as there's not a scheduling conflict already, getting the dates will be a sure thing being how often I visit even when I'm not on the clock."

Sinister's comments get a slight smile but as it registers the general meaning behind the explosion it becomes quite clear they're talking about a different type. Nick moves over to the Malva Pudding.

Lucifer has posed:
"It didn't seem like there was... I'm hoping to be the first to request you on New Year's Eve... but I've also asked for you to perform the weekend before Christmas Eve.. likely for a charity event I'm going to toss together in the last minute." Lucifer says this with a chuckle while he looks around the lounge. A lot of things to take in, but he's focused on the drinks table. "We can come up with some sort of name for that concoction, Nathaniel, shouldn't be too hard. And I bet it will be a holiday best seller...especially if we put it on special." Offering this much as he pokes at the coffees and teas and cocoa mixes to perhaps see if anything really does tickle his fancy.

Something Nathaniel says then perks Lucifer's interest and he looks over to the man. "Set up a fire and I will walk slowly through it. Like a slow motion action movie scene where the people are moving away from the blast..." He chuckles then before taking in a breath and looking around the room once more. "I wonder if you and Wade wouldn't mind me finding a room with a piano and just vibing out on songs for a little while.."

Sinister has posed:
Hot chocolate seems to be off the table, literally, because cocoa powder with just water is not going to happen on his watch. Although it didn't seem like he looked about, Sinister is exceptionally observant and likely has remarked and noted on quite a number of things in a single glance. He'd be a shoo-in on a visual memory game for MENSA no doubt. However, Nick gets a lowering of the eyebrows that goes along with a half-lidding of the eyes as he sidestepped, or just missed the prompt to elaborate. Maybe that will be a thing that happens at a different day?

He settles on a peppermint tea with a sugar cookie spoon to sweeten it just a little and hunts down a spinach canape or two, to go with the other savories.

"I shall certainly keep an eye open for sudden meme potential..." he comments to Lucifer, but the planning for bookings is utterly on the Host's head, so there's no comment in that respect. "Accoustics have to be exceptionally intimate, doppler effect being in full wallop..." he muses, looking out of the corner of his eye to Nick.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick grabs one of the pre-portioned servings of the dessert and shifts over to grab a spoon. The mention of using a piano gets a nod. "Session room E won't have any bookings tonight as it's scheduled for maintenance in the recording booth tomorrow morning." Nick answers to Lucifer's inquiry. "There's a piano in there with great sound to it. Upright though. I can get you in the room."

The musician looks down to the plate, cutting into the slice easily with the side of the spoon. "And yes, the room's got good sound. Wade doesn't cut corners when it comes to the studio."

Bite of dessert in mouth, he sets the spoon on the small plate before he steps to the lounge room. "I'll go track down Wade while you play."

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer fixes himself a coffee, even though he doesn't really need the caffeine and his body will process it quickly anyway, but he picks a chocolate straw to put into the cup and stirs it around a bit. "Ah. Perfect. Then please lead the way and I look forward to hearing the results of your conversation with Wade once you manage to talk to him." He says this and makes way to begin following Nick but does toss a side glance to Nathaniel. "Coming love?"

Sinister has posed:
"Only breathing hard," Sinister replies in a droll tone to Lucifer. "I'll catch up with you later Nick, there's a few things I want to go over again. I haven't finished with lessons in mindgames..." he winks, then plucks his food on sticks, making a knuckle-duster of them all and takes his peppermint sugar'd tea to go listen to a private session. -- Editor apologies accepted.